We Must Have Stayed In About The Same Place Twenty Minutes Or Longer,
When, Just For One Instant, There Was A Lull In The Storm, And I
Caught A Glimpse Of The White Pickets Of A Fence!
Without stopping to
think of horse's hoofs and, alas!
Without calling one word to the two
officers who were doing everything possible to protect me, I shut my
eyes tight, freed my foot from the stirrup, and, sliding down from my
horse, started for those pickets! How I missed Lieutenant Alden's
horse, and how I got to that fence, I do not know. The force of the
wind was terrific, and besides, I was obliged to cross the little
acequia. But I did get over the fifteen or sixteen feet of ground
without falling, and oh, the joy of getting my arms around those
pickets!
The storm continued for some time; but finally the atmosphere began to
clear, and I could see objects around me. And then out of the dust
loomed up Lieutenant Baldwin. He was about halfway down the line and
riding close to the fence, evidently looking for me. When he came up,
leading my horse, his face was black with more than dirt. He reminded
me of having told me positively not to jump from my horse, and asked
if I realized that I might have been knocked down and killed by the
crazy animals. Of course I had perceived all that as soon as I reached
safety, but I could not admit my mistake at that time without breaking
down and making a scene.
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